BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02494 When Allison and I started discussing our 20th Anniversary and how to celebrate it we were looking at a few things but they were things we had done before. Then Allison sent me a link to the Providence Tour company. she had gone with Eva and her friend Aviva on the Providence Haunted Authors Tour and really enjoyed it. The company had a Dinner Stroll on Federal Hill so we booked it for tonight. The stroll took us to Cassarino’s, Trattoria Appia, Pane e Vino, and Anthony’s Authentic Italian Cuisine. We were on the tour with three other couples who were all friends. By the end of the night we had had good conversations with most everyone from the group. We were about 10 years younger than the rest of the group. We learned that our tour guide was from North Attleboro. She was very nice. Our adventure started at Cassarino's for an appetizer sampler of calamari, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms and clams casino. Everything was excellent. We were allotted 35 minutes a...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02461 I took last night off so that means that today I was able to do a few things around here before taking a nap for work. Allison and I took advantage of that time to go walking at La Salette and also to visit the Farmer's Market. I have not been there yet this year and there is only one weekend left. We got some tasty treats as we walked around including a Jerusalem bagel and some pretzels for the kids. We also got some spicy thai sauce and Allison got a pumpkin spice cold brew coffee. Tonight Allison and Eva went to see the band the Oh Hellos in Boston. They had a great time at the show.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02458 Today Eva and I went to Boston University for a college tour. It was pouring int eh morning and through our drive but once we got there the rain ended and we had a very nice tour. I had never been on the campus of Boston University and didn't know much about it. I'm not one for the city but Eva enjoyed it and was excited by the place. While we did not get to see the fine arts college but at some point if she wants to continue to pursue this college we'll be back to see that area specifically. 

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02448 Today we went to see the Attleboro Community Theater performance of And Then There Were None. We were joined my our friends Frank and Heather. Frank and I had made plans back in July when we met up last time. It is a great thing that we can catch up every once and a while around a performance. We're making plans for The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge in December.  The kids went with us to see the show too. they both enjoyed it as well. After the show we dropped them off at home and then went to dinner with Frank and Heather at Wetherlaine's. When I was at Granite State Comicon I bought a book and print from one of the vendors. The book was of 20 80's movies and I knew that it would be the perfect book for Frank. The print is for the movie Better Off Dead, a favorite of mine and of Frank. The book is a good one but I knew I'd only read it once and I knew that Frank would appreciate it more than me so I gave it to him along with the print for his podcast...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02441 The second day of the convention is the relaxed day. Eva had a very simple cosplay today as Adaine from Fantasy High. As we walked around together there were three people that recognized the character. Eva had made three special bottle cap buttons and gave them to the three people.  after our breakfast at the bookstore down the street we came back tot he convention as it began. We decided to load upt he car and then went across the street to the SNHU center for the other part of the convention. There were things like the Big Dumb Robot convention where people displayed robots that they had fabricated with 3D printers and other materials. There were some amazing ones there, too. Down on the floor of the arena were additional vendors. Eva found a tea to try and I picked up a set of books signed by the author and we even found some figures that andy likes to put together. They are called Eugy figures and they are made from cardboard or wood pieces that you glue ...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02440 This morning Eva and I headed up to New Hampshire for the Granite State Comicon. This is an event that we attend together every year and each year we have more fun. This year Eva worked so hard on a cosplay costume that really spoke to her. She is cosplaying as a character from her favorite book, The spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. Her character is that of Silas Bell. Eva spent months designing the costume from the ground up. From working on the pattern to making mock ups to embroidery to so many other details too numerous to mention. Eva did an outstanding job. This was the first time participating in the contest since 2018. This year Eva met a number of other cosplayers and made some new friends. Eva also got to catch up with several of friends that they made over the past few years. Eva's friends also participated in the contest. While none of them won any of the prizes they did have great experiences. Eva and I arrived close to 10am and too...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02422 Over the weekend I saw that Tougas Family Farm was having Jimmy Buffett days in honor of Buffett and Labor Day Weekend. I worked 8pm - 8am last night so I was a bit out of it when I finally got up and we headed there to hang out do some apple picking or whatever. I really had no plan, I guess I thought it would be a lot more chill than it was. The place was packed. So many people were out apple picking and listening to the live band covering Jimmy's tunes. We tried to go into the store but that was overwhelming so we got out and walked for a bit. We got some donuts and apple cider and then decided to do some apple picking. I'm glad that we did end up deciding to apple pick because we got a nice big ox of apples and this early in the season there were tons of great apples to pick. We got Honey Crisp and three other varieties that I cannot remember. We also picked a few yellow peaches. We rode on the wagon to the fields to pick. Allison and Andy on the wago...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02407 Tonight was the last Food Truck night of 2025. For some reason I must have hit the portrait mode and it auto focused on me. Sadly everyone else is out of focus. Whoops.  Tonight I got the Lobster Street Corn Nachos. This is the first cheat meal that I've had since being on Virta. I wanted to see how it would affect my blood sugar. I did not eat the whole thing but had a pretty good amount. About two hours later my blood sugar was at 255, that is the most it has been in months. It did come back down pretty quickly, too.  I figure if I am going to cheat I am going to need to pick something that I really enjoy to make it worth it. It won't be often but I will occasionally and in moderation pick something that is not Virta approved. 

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02399 Tonight Allison and I enjoyed the Christmas present that she gave me, tickets to see Nate Bargatze at TD Garden. We have been fans of Nate Bargatze for many years now and he’s been doing so well in the past few years. SNL appearances, a giant comedy tour and next month he’s hosting the Emmys. Before the show we went to a local Mexican restaurant, Los Antojitos, in North Attleboro. Between Taco Blanco on the Cape and this place I think the Birria taco is better at Los Antojitos. The consume is better there, too. We ate around here because it would be easier to have that out of the way instead of looking for a place to park in Boston. We had parking for the show so that was good, getting to it, though, that was not so good. But, we got to the Garden and had plenty of time to get to our seats because the show started about a half hour late. Despite that and the traffic it was a fantastic show. Nate was really funny and each of the opening acts were good. I laughed a...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02397 This morning Andy and I went paddle boarding over at the beach. Allison had asked the kids what things they wanted to do on their last week of the Summer on the Cape. Andy wanted to go to Eugene Henry’s and go paddleboarding. We’ll we already went to Eugene Henry’s so it was time to go paddle boarding. We pumped up the paddle boards yesterday so that they would be ready first thing this morning while the water was still. We had a wonderful morning on the water even though I continually scanned for dorsal fins because even though Falmouth has not had any major shark sightings I was still going to be vigilant. We remained shark free. In the afternoon I drove Allison and Andy to Middleboro to meet up with Colleen so that Allison could get the house ready for her parents. The drive had some moments of traffic but we were lucky to have left when we did because when I was returning I saw that a large accident had happened on the road that we had driven on earlier...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02393 We spent the day in New Hampshire celebrating Dan and MArcia’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. In the morning I took the family over to the Golden Egg for breakfast. We enjoyed a nice breakfast together and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the day. We met up with Uncle Tom who performed a private Mass for us in his room. Then we headed over to Nate’s house again before heading to our lunch venue at Wentworth By The Sea. We enjoyed a meal at Salt and got to use their wine room. It was a nice room with a very large table. We had an excellent meal and bottles of wine. After our meal we went down to Dan and Marcia’s suite to enjoy a cake that we had brought. We got the cake from Awesome Sweets. Awesome Sweets is a bakery that my friend Sue runs. A great place with very good baked goods. I’d love it if Andy interned there some day. After our celebration we took a bunch of photos around the grounds and also on the porch of their suite. We headed to the Cape after...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02392 We are up in New Hampshire today visiting Allison’s brother and his family as well as Allison’s parents and her uncle Tom. We’re there for Allison’s parents’ 50th wedding Anniversary. We drove up this morning and met everyone on Market Street in Portsmouth. There we wandered the shops. Andy found a very cool pocket watch that is actually a holder for tiny D&D dice. Eva and Allison also found a few things. after our adventure on Market Street we went to Nate’s house for a cookout. We enjoyed a very nice meal and the kids hung out with their cousins a bit. We had a nice time and Andy played with the dog a bit. Then we went to our hotel room for the night. We stayed at a local Courtyard and We split up the beds to have Eva with Allison and Andy with me. Andy repeatedly whacked me in the back as they flailed in the night. A very active sleeper.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02380 Tonight we went over to The Meadows for some of their frozen custard. I saw that this place was opening soon when we were driving by on the way to my manager’s pool party on Saturday. Today I noticed that Chartley Country Store mentioned on their social media that their entire staff went over to the opening day to get some frozen custard. I figured that I’d take Allison and andy over to try it out. Andy got a Gelatti which is italian ice mixed with frozen custard. Andy got mango italian ice and vanilla custard. They seemed to enjoy it very much. Allison picked the turtle sundae and commented multiple times how many pecans were included in the sundae. She really enjoyed her treat. I did not try any, I wanted to but came home and had some of my Rebel ice cream instead. It is very tasty and doesn’t knock my sugar out of whack.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02375 Tonight I went with Allison and Eva to Folk Dancing in Woods Hole. I went because Eva said that she would be jumping off the drawbridge tonight. That is what the Science School TAs do after Folk Dancing and when the bridge attendant leaves for the night. I did dance a little bit tonight, did two songs and then it just got so crowded that I couldn’t stay inside the event. I had to get outside for fresh air. I also took a walk around the area. Around 9pm the bridge was filled with kids all excited to jump. Eva and her friends also got up there and did their jumps, too. However, I did not get a good shot of her actually jumping but did get one of everyone on the bridge. Eva has really branched outside of her comfort zone this year.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02372 Tonight was another picnic in the park with food trucks at Capron park. We walked over early and then went off to get our own food and then gathered back up to enjoy our meal. I picked up some brisket birria tacos. Allison got a shredded brisket sandwich. Andy opted for some loaded mac and cheese fries and some chicken parm. Eva was happy because she could have Friskies Fries. She gets the General’s chicken fries. After dinner Andy got some chocolate covered strawberries and Allison got a churro and ice cream. I had one of the strawberries and a bite of the churro. That spiked my sugar up a bit. Not too crazy but a bit. It came back down pretty easily, too.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02344 This weekend for Sly Fox we were joined by my parents. We celebrated their Anniversary, Dad’s Birthday and Father’s Day all together. Allison picked up some burgers from Chartley. The play went very well and I got to do my actual role this time around. One week ago when I filled in for the sick Abner Truckle. Everyone enjoyed the show. Andy helped with Concessions and also hung out in the light booth to learn a bit from Doug. We had a very nice afternoon.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02338 That night was the METG Musical theater awards. This is a really big deal event. It is like the Tonys for high school and middle school musical theater. Bishop Feehan High School was nominated for 7 awards tonight and Eva was up for Best Costume Design. The event was at Lawrence high School in Lawrence, MA. We picked up Eva’s friend Ollie and headed up there a little after 4pm. We wanted to make sure that we got there early enough and also make sure that we could have dinner before the event. We went to a burger joint that Allison found through Phantom Gourmet. It was called BE/EZ and was about 6 miles from the school. After dinner we went over to the school to get our seats. Eva and Allison and Ollie sat up front with the nominees and Andy and I sat un the upper orchestra. We had great seats. The theater at the high school is huge. Lawrence High School performed two major musicals this year. Miss Saigon and In The Heights. They were phenomenal when they performe...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02267 One of the family Christmas gifts was tickets to see comedian Josh Johnson at The Vets tonight. We had dinner at the Burgundian and then headed to Providence to see the show. We discovered Josh Johnson on Tik Tok and he quickly became a comedian that we could all enjoy together. Our seats were way way at the top of the building, in Balcony 2. Still, they were decent seats to see the show. At least until someone sat in front of me with a Cinder Block for a head. I spent the rest of the evening weaving from side to side in order to see the show. Such a big head. I also spent lots of time watching the kids’ reactions. Andy loved the show and was cackling like crazy many times. Eva also laughed but much more controlled. We all enjoyed the show and look forward to more comedy shows together in the future.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02187 On our last full day in Florida we drove out to Crystal Prings to a spcial preserve to observe the manatees. This place had a bunch of manatees all floating around in a protected space. there was also an option to swim with them. People had snorkels and pool floats to swim near the manatees. It was interesting and a nice place to walk. after visiting the manatees we drove to Ocala and had an early dinner at Harry’s which was a New Orleans themed place and the food was excellent. I got shrimp and grits and it was the best meal of the trip. We followed that up by going to the giant candy store next door to get a couple of things. This place had so many different candy options. It was huge! when we got home we found out that the flight for tomorrow was cancelled. We were supposed to leave at 10:40am but then we got rescheduled to the 1:15pm flight. The problem was Baltimore. We were scheduled to fly through Baltimore but they were getting slammed with snow and...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02186 For our final day at Disney we went to The Magic Kingdom. Most of the family was going there and were going to take photos with the bride and groom near the castle but we did not end up doing that. We did, however go to The Haunted Mansion. Eva really wanted to go to that attraction. We also did It’s A Small World and several others. One of the attractions we went on was the Laugh Factory Floor which was a Monsters Inc themed attraction and I got singled out as “that guy”. Every time there was a punchline of a joke they’d put me on screen and say That Guy. It was pretty funny and the kids loved it.they were laughing like crazy. At the end of the show I was given a sticker that said, “I was That Guy at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor”. So that was fun. We caught up with The bride and groom at the end of the day and had lunch with them. Then we got a bus back tot he hotel and headed back to Dan and Marcia’s. While we were in the park we found more shoulder pals ...